


Wait, you're Spider-Man?

by fritokays



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, F/M, Female Peter Parker, Fluff, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Penny Parker - Freeform, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, may bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29772723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fritokays/pseuds/fritokays
Summary: This all stems from an idea that Penny Parker would go by Spider-Man to keep the media guessing about her identity. This will be a fluffy cute story about Penny Parker being adorable Penny Parker and Tony, Pepper, and the Avengers attempting to parent her at all. It will be sweet and cute and I apologize for none of it.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & The Avengers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, no starker - Relationship
Comments: 87
Kudos: 355





	1. Chapter 1

“Mr. Stark!” Tony shook his head as the whirlwind of a teenager ran through his lab calling his name.

“Roos,” He said in greeting without looking up from the code he’d been working on.

“Mr. Stark,” Tony heard the kid’s foot hit the ground and a huff come from her direction. He smirked to himself.

“Yes, Penny, what is it?” He asked as he turned to look at her. She beamed at him and held out the paper in her hand, “What is this?” He asked as he took it.

“I made a perfect score on my chemistry exam!” She told him, “They told me I couldn’t keep up since I was a freshman and I made the only perfect score in the class,” She finished, smile on her face and pride in her voice.

“That’s great, Pen,” He told her as he tugged her into his side to hug her tightly, “See, told you there was no reason to worry about joining the junior class,” He teased.

“I know,” She rolled her eyes, but her smile never left her face, “Are we working on widow bites again?” She asked.

“Yes,” Tony answered and saved the code he’d been working on. He swiveled in his chair to find the project the two of them were currently taking on, “She says the range that they fire isn’t enough. The voltage and power behind them are incredible now but they don’t project forward enough.”

“On it,” Penny answered with a nod as she piled her curls into a messy bun on the top of her head. She grabbed a pair of safety glasses he insisted she wear in the lab and placed them on her face as well. “Can we listen to my music today?” She asked him sweetly and turning her big blue eyes up to him. Tony groaned.

“Kid, you’re really going to make me listen to Fleetwood Mac, aren’t you?” She just smiled in response, “Fine, but only because you got that extra credit problem right without showing any kind of work,” He acquiesced.

“Yes!” She said and fist pumped, “FRIDAY! Turn on my playlist please, ma’am.”

“Playing Penny’s “Jams Mr. Stark Hates” playlist.”

0~0~0

“Penelope Parker!” Penny froze and scrunched her face up as she spun to look at her aunt.

“Sorry, Aunt May! I know I’m late! My phone died and I lost track of time and I got super caught up in my alterations to the widow bites. Which I know totally isn’t an excuse but it’s the only one I’ve got, and I made a perfect score on my chemistry test today so maybe we could let it go just this one time?” She shot her aunt a smile.

May put her hand to her eyes and rubbed harshly, “Going to be the death of me,” She mumbled, “Absolute death of me,” She shook her head, “Have you at least eaten dinner?”

“Uh huh,” Penny nodded and shifted her backpack on her shoulder, “Mr. Stark ordered Italian,” She said and raised her eyebrows in what she hoped was a cute expression so her aunt would let this go.

“Penny, so help me. You have a curfew for a reason.”

“I know, Aunt May. I’m sorry! I’ll do better! Promise,” She told her earnestly.

“You better,” May said and ruffled the girl’s hair as she passed her, “I have a shift, shower and in the bed after you do your homework. No later than eleven.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Penny said with a bob of her head.

“I mean it, Penny!”

0~0~0

Pepper walked through the lab and smiled softly at the sight of Tony hunched over something or another with a magnifying glass positioned under him and a set of tweezers in his hand.

“You coming to bed any time soon?” She asked softly and Tony didn’t answer her immediately but did acknowledge that she was there by glancing up at her before turning back to the task at hand. Once he had whatever in place, he stood and walked over to her, “This isn’t your handwriting?” She said more like a question as she held up several sheets of notebook paper with equations written all over them.

“No, the kid left that here,” He answered as he wound his arms around his wife from behind and settled his chin on her shoulder to look down at the papers. He pointed to a specific section of the paper, “Told me I was wrong and then damn proved it,” He grumbled, though his tone lacked any real anger. To her it sounded more like pride than anything.

“Do I get to meet this amazing Spider-Man at any point?” She asked teasingly as she spun in his arms and looped hers up around his neck.

“Hmm?” He asked her as he pecked her lips. She laughed softly. After spending his days in the lab, he usually would fall asleep down here. She knew it was coming up on crash time and since their wedding, she’d taken to coming down to get him every night. Much preferring him next to her than several floors below.

“The kid, Tony,” She whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair, “Do I get to meet your kid any time soon?” She asked and then rubbed her nose against his own when he made eye contact with her again.

Tony grinned at her. He loved how tactile she was. He never had been, and she’d brought it out in him. Usually only for her. Though Penny was quickly earning hugs, fist bumps, and high fives left and right as well. “Yeah, Pep, whenever you want,” He answered, “Ready?” He asked and she nodded.

He took her hand and she led him out of the lab and towards the elevator as he told FRIDAY to turn everything off and save his work on the file pulled up.


	2. Chapter 2

Several weeks later, Pepper walked out of the elevator on the lab floor and furrowed her eyebrows at the sound of music that was definitely not Tony’s preferred style. She rounded the corner and saw who she assumed to be Spider-Man welding something, back to her and unaware that she was in the room.

“Tony?” She called and saw him pop up from behind a workbench, “May Parker has been calling for about fifteen minutes now,” Pepper told him with a confused expression on her face.

Tony checked his watch then motioned towards the teenager still welding like nothing was going on, “Kid’s aunt,” He told her, “FRIDAY, kill the music,” He called out, “Kid,” He called when the music died down, “Kid!” He tried again and then rolled his eyes. “FRIDAY, kill the power to the welder,” He said as he shook his head.

“Hey, what gives?” The kid exclaimed and turned around. Pepper had yet to see the kid’s face. So far all she’d caught sight of was a pair of blue jeans, a school sweatshirt, and a pair of black converse sneakers. She still wasn’t getting lucky as the kid had a full-on welding mask on, “Oh my god! You’re _the_ Pepper Potts.”

“Hey, you didn’t react like this when you met me,” Tony said indignantly.

“You’re not the Pepper Potts,” The kid said and laid down the welder on a nearby surface.

“I’m the Tony Stark,” The man said as he made a playful scowl.

“Talk to me when you’re the first female CEO of a fortune 500 company,” Came his response full of sass.

“I like this one,” Pepper said with a laugh, “Your aunt has been calling for nearly twenty minutes now,” She said.

“What time is it?”

“7:30,” Tony answered.

“Shit!” The kid exclaimed and started running around collecting a school bag, textbooks, and loose papers, “She’s going to kill me. Like actual murder this time. I promised I wouldn’t break curfew again. I’m so dead. I’m going to be grounded until like college graduation.”

“Woah, kid, calm down,” Tony said and shook his head good-naturedly, “I’ll call aunt hottie and explain the situation.”

“Did you just say aunt hottie?” Pepper asked, amused smile on her face.

“Pepper, now’s not the time,” He answered but shot her a playful look.

“Mr. Stark, stop calling her that it’s weird,” The kid said and finally remembered she was wearing a helmet. She flipped it up and off of her head before shaking out her curls.

Pepper’s jaw fell open as she watched long blonde curls tumble down around the kid’s shoulders. Adorable blue eyes and freckles accompanied the cutest little button nose she’d ever seen.

“Why is it weird?” Tony asked as he tossed Penny her cell phone when he picked it up from the work bench.

“Because she’s barely ten years older than me and she’s my aunt. It’s weird,” She told him and flipped through her phone, “She called me seven times. I’m literally going to die tonight.”

Pepper’s shocked face finally registered to Tony and he looked at her in question. Her eyes flicked between him and Penny before he still shrugged that he didn’t understand the expression.

“Spider- _Man_?” She said with emphasis on the last work.

“Misnomer,” Penny answered for him as she turned, “Aunt May!” She said, cheery expression completely fake, “Ya know, I just completely lost track of time,” Pepper tuned her out.

“I’d say that’s a pretty big misnomer,” She said to her husband and Tony shrugged.

“She decided when the media started saying Spider-Man it was probably for the best not to correct them. No one would ever suspect a teenage girl to be behind the mask,” He explained.

“I guess that’s true,” Pepper mumbled and turned back to the girl who was still on her phone.

“I know, May. I’m sorry,” She said and Pepper rolled her eyes, shot her husband a look, and walked over to the girl and held her hand out. Penny looked up at her with wide eyes before slowly putting the phone in her hand.

“May Parker?” She asked, completely in CEO mode as she spoke now. “Pepper Potts-Stark, so nice to meet you,” She said as she trailed off away from the two of them.

“What’s she doing?” Penny asked quietly.

“I’ve found it’s best not to question or argue,” Tony answered. Penny shrugged. She couldn’t possibly make this any worse for her anyway.

“She thought I was a boy, didn’t she?” She asked and Tony snorted but nodded, “Sick,” She laughed out, “So the public will legit probably never put it together.”

“Probably not,” Tony agreed. They looked up when Pepper walked back into the room and held out Penny’s phone now that the phone call was done.

“You’re going to stay here for the night. There is definitely a road blockage currently preventing us from getting you home and that’s why you’re late,” Pepper said and raised her eyebrows to ensure the girl understood. Penny just nodded quickly. “I’ve assured her you will do your homework, eat something other than cereal for dinner, and get at least eight hours of sleep.”

“A full eight hours?” Penny grumbled and Pepper laughed and shook her head.

“Oh good, another one,” She shook her head again, “Yes, a full eight hours. She’s also agreed to let you stay here for the weekend so long as you want to as well. She has a double tomorrow and a night shift on Sunday,” Pepper finished.

“Seriously?” Penny asked and Pepper nodded. Tony just shrugged his agreement, “Okay!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a good bit of this written already but I'm always open to suggestions!


	3. Chapter 3

Penny had spent the weekend at the tower with them. She honestly couldn’t remember a more fun weekend in her life if she was being honest. 

Pepper forced food in her nearly every two hours. Penny had laughed and told the woman she didn’t need that much, but Pepper had insisted that FRIDAY said her metabolism burned at a higher rate than normal humans and had continued to drop food off near her anyway. 

Penny had spent so much time in the lab that she felt honest-to-god spoiled. She’d never gotten that much uninterrupted time in the lab with Tony before and she loved it. They’d worked on some tweaks for Karen and also some new materials to use in her web fluids.

On Monday, when Penny woke up to FRIDAY’s gentle alarm, she dressed quickly, grabbed her backpack, ensured all of her books were tucked back inside, and headed out of the guestroom she’d stayed in for the weekend. Pepper shot her a grin as she entered the kitchen and handed the girl a plate overloaded with eggs, bacon, and fruit. “Mrs. Stark, you really don’t have to keep feeding me so much,” Penny laughed as she accepted the breakfast. She made her way to a barstool and slid onto it.

“Pepper,” The woman said playfully. She’d been telling the girl she could address her by her first name all weekend. “And yet you’ve eaten everything that I’ve put near you this weekend,” Pepper told her teasingly. Penny blushed and scrunched her face up. “Don’t worry about it, there’s always way too much food in this tower. Portion sizes mean nothing when a woman with arachnid DNA, a super soldier, and a literal green monster live in this tower,” She said and Penny giggled at her.

“Kid, Happy’s downstairs ready to take you to school when you’re done,” Tony said as he entered the kitchen. He stealthily took Pepper’s mug of coffee when she turned around to grab a plate for him and took a drink out of it.

“I can take the train in, Mr. Stark. He doesn’t need to drive me,” She told him, “Or I can swing,” She said with a smirk in place.

“Not a chance, kid. Not this early in the morning,” He said and then was met with his wife’s glare as she took her mug back from him but still kissed his cheek and sat a plate of food in front of him anyway. He shot her a thankful smile in response.

Penny sighed, “Fine,” She mumbled and finished her breakfast up. She stood to wash her plate and was cut off as Pepper stepped between her and the sink and took it, “Mrs. Stark,” She said and shook her head, “I can clean my own dishes. You’ve been cleaning up after me all weekend,” She pointed out.

“Hard habit to break,” Pepper said and tilted her head towards an oblivious Tony as she smirked at the girl, “And don’t worry about it,” She told the girl, “Did you get everything?”

“Umm,” Penny tilted her head to the side trying to remember if she’d left anything else in the tower, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I did,” She said and nodded.

“Great, then go before you’re late, kid,” Tony ushered the girl out of the penthouse and into the elevator as she threw ‘thank yous’ out to the two of them.

Pepper walked over and wound her arms around Tony’s waist as she leaned into his side when the elevator left their floor, “Well,” Pepper said and Tony turned his head and couldn’t help pecking her lips before she continued, “I think I love your kid,” She said and pecked his lips again.

“Pep,” He laughed, “She’s not my kid,” He said and Pepper raised an eyebrow at him and quirked her lips up, “Okay, maybe she’s my kid.”

0~0~0

The middle of the week found Penny climbing in through the penthouse window after her patrol. She’d gotten a text from Tony letting her know that he would be late to the lab today and that he’d cleared her being late to the apartment with May if she wanted to stay out on patrol a little longer than normal before heading to the tower.

She dropped to the floor and started to take her backpack off before someone spoke, “Well, that was kind of creepy,” She looked up and felt her eyes widen. 

“You’re the Black Widow,” She said in awe and saw the woman in question smirk as she leaned against the kitchen counter, mug of tea held securely between her hands.

“Natasha is fine,” Came her reply.

“Ms. Black Widow,” Penny said and walked towards the kitchen.

“Natasha,” The woman said again.

“Ms. Romanov,” Penny said with a nod and saw the woman’s lips quirk in amusement.

“Natasha.”

“Ms. Natasha,” She said then and the woman sighed but couldn’t keep the amused smile off of her face.

“Natasha,” She said one last and definitive time, “Do I finally get to see the face under the mask? Or is this like Germany all over again?” She asked and Penny smirked. She sometimes forgot that Germany even happened. It all seemed so surreal.

“Right,” Penny said and slid her fingers under the mask. She started to lift it as she spoke, “I’m a huge fan by the way,” Penny told her, “Like, huge,” She said and then finally had the mask off of her face. She let her hair out of its bun and shook it loose before holding her hand out to the woman whose face was one of shock, “What?” She asked in confusion.

“Nothing,” Natasha said with a laugh and finally shook the girl’s hand, “Way to pull off a multi-layered disguise Spider-Man,” Natasha told her.

“Oh, yeah,” Penny said and laughed, “I forget sometimes,” She shrugged. “But seriously!” Penny said and couldn’t contain her excitement, “I’m meeting the Black Widow!”

“Natasha.”


	4. Chapter 4

Penny pushed forward as she skated through the small crowd on the sidewalk. She’d foregone her ride with Happy today, deciding that the weather was too nice not to take her board from school to the tower instead. As she noticed the empty sidewalk ahead, she placed both feet firmly and allowed herself to coast along as she pulled out her cell phone.

Penny Parker: FRI, is Mrs. Stark in the tower?

FRIDAY: Mrs. Stark is currently in her office.

Penny Parker: Awesome. Do you know her Starbucks order?

Penny had decided she wanted her usual order, she knew Tony’s usual as well, but she didn’t want to leave out the woman who’d quickly become one of her favorite people either. Penny glanced at her phone as she received another text and committed the order to memory as well.

Penny came to stop in front of the coffee shop, stepped on the end of her board so she could grab it by the hardware, and stepped into the building. Ten minutes later, Penny was once again skating down the sidewalk, cupholder of drinks in her hand, and helmet placed haphazardly on her head, the buckles hanging undone under her chin.

Penny took the ramp up the front of the tower and glided in through the doors as they opened automatically. She earned several looks of disapproval as she jumped over the gate and landed on her board on the other side. “Security!” She registered someone calling for and she realized too late that it was probably for her. Oops. 

Penny slid into the elevator and clicked the office floor button. “Welcome, Penny,” FRIDAY greeted her. No one without access could access the top four or so floors anyway. Security would probably figure out she wasn’t just some random kid. Right?

Penny pushed forward out of the elevator and pivoted on her board to turn towards Pepper’s office. She rolled past several concerned faces and looks of concern on her way to her current destination. 

As Penny rolled to a stop outside of Pepper’s office, she could see the woman pacing back and forth, flipping through screens on a tablet, and actively talking into a Bluetooth set. Penny cautiously opened the door. Pepper looked up and nearly failed at stifling her laugh. She didn’t think she’d have an adorable teenage girl dressed in distressed jeans, a nerdy graphic t-shirt, an askew helmet, all while riding a skateboard, enter her office today.

Pepper reached up and tapped something on the set in her ear before tossing her tablet down on her desk, “Hey, Penny, what brings you up here?” Pepper asked her happily.

“Oh!” Penny shifted and read the labels on the drinks in her carrier, “I got you a… chai tea latte, extra hot, extra foam?” She said and ended the statement more like a question. Pepper shot her a grateful look and readily accepted the drink from the girl. She took a sip and opened her mouth to thank the girl before her office door was opening.

“Sorry, Mrs. Stark. We couldn’t catch her,” The employee currently standing in her doorway had shot Penny a nasty look of disdain and Penny just raised her eyebrows in a clear ‘fight me’ look. Pepper pursed her lips before responding.

“In the future,” Pepper started and waited until the man’s eyes were back on her, “Penny,” She gestured towards the girl whose gaze had slid back to her, apologetic look on her face, “Is never to be stopped from entering my office,” Pepper finished definitively.

The man’s eyes widened, and his demeanor fell to one of chastisement as he nodded, “Yes, ma’am. I apologize,” He told her and fled back down the hallway quickly.

Penny smirked before looking back to Pepper, “Sorry, though. I didn’t mean to cause any problems,” She told the woman, “Also, I might have slid past security without checking in,” She said sheepishly and earned a giggle from the woman who shook her head good-naturedly.

“Don’t worry about it. Happy will handle it,” She told the girl, “Thank you, darling,” She told the girl in reference to the drink she’d brought her, “And in the future, when it comes to this skateboard in my building,” She told her as she stepped towards the girl and Penny’s eyes widened as she gulped, “At least wear your helmet properly,” She said as she reached out and righted the helmet on the girl’s head and buckled the straps under her chin.

Penny breathed out and a laugh and nodded, “Got it.”

0~0~0

Penny had made a habit of visiting with Pepper on lab days. She always stopped on the office floor and, at the very least, shot the woman a smile in the off chance that she was in a meeting. Normally she wasn’t and she and Penny would catch up before Penny headed to the lab to meet Tony.

Security didn’t even bat an eye when the teenager skated in or ran in anymore. They all knew who the kid was and that she was important to both Mr. and Mrs. Stark. No further questions were needed.

Penny rolled off of the elevator in the lab and came to a stop in the middle of the lab. She took her helmet off, always careful to wear it properly now for Mrs. Stark, and shook her hair out before looking up. Her eyes widened, “Captain America,” She mumbled.

“Stark, you got random kids hanging out in your lab now?” Steve asked, looking over at her mentor. Tony looked up from his computer, shot the kid his signature grin, and looked back down.

“No, that’s the kid,” Tony said as if that explained everything.

“The kid?” Steve asked in confusion. Tony didn’t elaborate and Steve turned back to where Penny was now placing her helmet, board, and backpack near the work bench that she always set up at on lab days. “Got a name, kid?”

“Penny,” She supplied for him and pulled a hair tie off of her wrist to twist her hair up into her usual bun for the lab. “It’s nice to meet you,” She said with a grin, “Not that we haven’t already, but last time was a little odd,” She told him as she grabbed her safety goggles and slid them onto her face.

“We’ve met?” Steve asked in confusion and glanced between the girl and Tony who still hadn’t looked up from his computer. He watched Penny walk over, stand at Tony’s side, point to something on the screen, and then finally saw Tony’s lips quirk upward as he adjusted the code on the screen.

“Thanks, kid,” He said and stood now, “Yes, you’ve met. Kid, Steve. Steve, kid,” Tony said, “Also known as Spider-Man,” Tony told Steve when the man just continued to stare confusedly.

“That makes no sense,” Steve said after a long moment and Penny fist pumped.

“Perfect,” She said, “I just never corrected the press. So, Spider-Man it is,” She said and shrugged.

“Prove it,” Steve said and narrowed his eyes. Penny bit her bottom lip, walked over to the closest wall, and quickly scaled it on her fingertips and feet. Steve watched on wide-eyed as she now hung to the ceiling by all fours and looked down at him. “Alright, yeah,” He said and nodded, “Spider-Man. Got it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Over the course of several months, Penny met the rest of the Avengers, revealed who she was to each of them, and reveled in the confusion that she always caused at going by Spider-Man but being a teenage girl.

She stayed at the tower often as well. Nearly every Friday, Penny crashed at the tower after her lab day with Mr. Stark. Several weekends also found her there as well. The guest room that she’d stayed in that first weekend, slowly started to look more and more like someone lived in it permanently. 

Tony had had clothes ordered and stocked into the dresser and closet in the girl’s size. She’d thanked him and insisted he hadn’t needed to when she’d noticed, but he’d just waved her off. 

The once solid white bed set had been replaced by a brightly colored set that Pepper insisted she must have ordered by accident, yet it was the right bed size and perfectly fit Penny’s tastes. Tony just looked at her knowingly when she’d put it on the girl’s bed.

A desk had joined the rest of the furniture in the room at some point for Penny to do her homework at as well. She’d been thankful at the time, she didn’t mind doing her homework at the kitchen table or the coffee table, but the option of a desk in ‘her room’ was great also.

Several books had been bought and placed on the bookshelf in the room as well. Most of them had been bought after a conversation between Pepper and Penny when the CEO had found the girl reading one of her favorite books. They’d sat and talked about favorite books and authors for a while before Tony had come in to tell them it was time for dinner. The books had shown up before Penny stayed the next time and she couldn’t keep the smile off of her face as she’d traced the spines with her fingertips when she’d seen them.

The attached bathroom housed Penny’s toothbrush; a joke was how it had started. That first night she’d stayed, she’d asked if they had an extra and Tony had produced an Iron Man toothbrush. Penny had rolled her eyes, but she hadn’t replaced it and still used it. Her favorite minty toothpaste sat in the dish next to the toothbrush. The shower housed her floral smelling shampoo and conditioner as well as her pineapple bodywash. The tower was as much home as the apartment was.

0~0~0

Penny scrunched her nose up as she realized Natasha was winning yet another lap of Mario Cart. “You’ve gotta be cheating,” Penny said from her spot cross-legged on the couch.

“Just admit that I’m better than you,” Natasha taunted from her place on the floor in front of the girl.

“At least neither of us are that bad,” Penny said and the two of them finished their laps to look over at Steve and Tony who were both still struggling to finish the race. Natasha laughed and nodded her agreement.

“Pepper, the kid is bullying me,” Tony said as he turned his entire controller in his hands as if that would help his car move further and faster.

“Tony, you do kind of suck at this,” Pepper said after a moment and was met with two amused laughs and one indignant grunt.

“I’d like to see you try,” He said and huffed as Steve finished his final lap and he still had a little way to go on his last lap.

“Oh no. I never claimed to be any good at this. That’s all on you,” She said in an amused tone.

“Got my ass kicked by a fourteen-year-old three times now,” He mumbled as he finally finished his race.

“Language,” Steve said from his place and dodged the pillow that was thrown at him by Tony.

“I’m twelve anyway,” Penny said indignantly as she chose the next location for their race.

“No you’re not,” Tony argued and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Uh, yeah I am.” Penny said and turned to look at him, “Twelve.”

“You’re in the ninth grade,” He pointed out.

“I didn’t go to kindergarten, and I skipped sixth grade.” She told him as if it were obvious and shrugged, “May wouldn’t let me skip any others. Said I’d end up socially awkward or something,” She shook her head and pressed play on the race.

“That’s crazy. Kids don’t just skip grades.”

“Says the man who graduated MIT at seventeen,” Pepper pointed out and earned three nods of agreement.

“Point taken.”

0~0~0

“Did you know she was that young?” Tony asked Pepper as he slid into bed next to his wife that night after Steve and Natasha had left and Penny had gone to her own room.

“Not a clue,” Pepper said as she snuggled into Tony’s side and molded her body against his. “God, she’s so cute,” Pepper mumbled sleepily, “I want one just like her.”

“Me too,” Tony said with a sleepy laugh. “Plus seeing you be a complete mama-bear is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Pepper said indignantly as she lightly smacked him on the stomach.

“No?” He asked and felt her shake her head against his chest, “You didn’t go braid her hair for her and then ask her if she’d brushed her teeth?” Pepper tilted her head up and he could see her playful glare in the darkness of their room, “You didn’t put a cup of water next to her bed and make sure she was warm enough before turning out her light for her?” He asked as he pulled the woman impossibly closer and pressed his lips to her forehead, “None of that sounds familiar?”

“I love her, Tony,” Pepper said, her only explanation.

“I completely get it, Pep.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter mostly! But it's longer than usual!

“Gimme that,” Tony said as he held two pieces of metal together while working on a new bot. Penny furrowed her eyebrows as she looked up from her own project.

“What?” She asked in confusion.

“That,” He said and pointed towards her without looking up. Penny looked down at herself and around her work area, “The thing in your hair,” He elaborated.

“My hair tie?” She asked him confusedly. He nodded, and she reached up to let her bun down as she walked over to him, “What do you need my hair tie for?” She asked as she held it out to him anyway.

Tony wrapped it around the two pieces and beamed at her when the robot whirred to life, “Perfect! Thanks, kid,” He said as he gestured to the robot.

“Great, you gotta rubber band or something?” Penny asked him, amused disdain in her voice.

“Nope, that’s why I needed the thing,” He said and she rolled her eyes, “What?”

“My hair is all over the place now,” She pointed out.

“So text Pep and take one of hers,” Tony said dismissively as he moved around the workbench to his blue print he’d been working off of.

“I don’t have Mrs. Stark’s phone number,” Penny pointed out.

“I have to do everything around here,” Tony said playfully as he pulled out his phone.

Tony: Penny needs a thing

Pepper: What kind of thing?

Tony: A hair thing

Pepper: Tony, more specific.

Tony: I stole her elastic thing out of her hair but I have a hair rule in the lab. She needs another one.

Pepper: You’re a mess

Pepper: Send her up, I’m on a call

“Pep has them for you she’s on a call so go ahead,” He said and Penny scrunched her face up.

“Well, if she’s on a call-” Penny started to protest, not wanting to interrupt, but Tony cut her off.

“She’s expecting you; she’s probably bored anyway. Go,” He said and Penny sighed. She laid her safety goggles down and headed for the elevator.

Penny rode the elevator up, got off on the correct floor, and made her way down the hallway to Pepper’s office. As she pushed the door open, Pepper was pacing, phone on speaker, and she looked beyond irritated. She looked up and her face softened as she saw Penny.

“No, I don’t think that would be in our best interest,” Pepper snapped as she beckoned Penny over to her. Penny watched her grab a pack of elastics off of her desk and shot her a grin in thanks. She furrowed her eyebrows when Pepper gestured for her to spin but did as she was asked, “Because as the CEO of SI, I don’t approve,” She said and Penny nearly giggled. The men on the line were giving her a hard time. Penny tensed momentarily as Pepper’s fingers weaved through her hair before relaxing again. Pepper’s fingers brushed through her hair a few times before she took care in French braiding it for Penny. “What part of ‘no’ are we not understanding?” Pepper asked indignantly as she swept more of Penny’s hair up into the braid, “Now, are we going to move onto more pressing matters, or should we end the call here?” She asked. Penny heard the grumbles through the phone before another topic was brought up.

“Thank god,” Pepper mumbled under her breath and Penny breathed out a soft laugh. She sighed contentedly as Pepper continued to easily braid her hair. She spun after Pepper finished the braid off and secured it with the hair tie that Penny had come for in the first place, “There you go, sweetheart,” Pepper said and shot the girl a smile.

“Thanks, Mrs. Stark,” Penny whispered to her and Pepper nodded.

“Why wasn’t I given those projections?” Pepper said suddenly and furrowed her eyebrows before rolling her eyes and turning back to Penny. She pressed a kiss to the side of the girl’s head quickly, “Don’t blow anything up, okay?” She said cheekily and Penny just smirked and nodded as she left the office. How had she ever gotten this lucky?

0~0~0

“Hey, tell your kid I’m slightly off-put by the fact that she didn’t come see me before she went to the lab today,” Pepper said as she answered Tony’s phone call.

“What are you talking about? Penny didn’t come down here,” He said and Pepper sat forward in her desk chair as she drew her eyebrows together, “I figured the academic team practice ran long.”

“Tony, she doesn’t have academic team practice on Thursdays,” Pepper pointed out and heard Tony take in breath.

“FRIDAY, did Penny ever get here today?” He asked and Pepper listened for the AI’s answer.

“Miss Parker arrived at her normal time, sir,” FRIDAY answered.

“Where is she?” Tony asked in confusion.

“She appears to be ill, sir. She’s lying down,” Came his response.

“Shit,” Tony said and Pepper stood and made her way out of her office.

“Hold on. I’ll go check on her, Tones. I’m closer anyway. Take a minute and make sure you didn’t leave anything running like last time,” She said and heard him sigh.

“Fine,” He said before they ended the call.

Pepper stepped into the penthouse floor and quickly made her way down the hallway towards Penny’s room. She knocked gently before pushing the door open. Her heart nearly broke at the sight she was met with. Penny was curled up in a ball on her bed. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs that she’d pulled up against her. Her eyelashes were still wet and it was clear she’d been crying recently.

“Penny?” Pepper called softly and the girl’s eyes flew open before she flinched and squinted at the woman, “Penny, what’s wrong, darling?” She asked as she made her way to the girl’s side.

“’m fine,” Penny told her as she shook her head. Pepper raised her eyebrows and Penny sighed, “My head just really hurts and it’s getting worse and I feel sick,” She mumbled and Pepper nodded in understanding. She reached out and pushed hair off of the girl’s forehead. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pull you away from work.”

“Oh no, darling,” Pepper said softly as she settled on her knees beside the bed so she was level with the girl, “You didn’t pull me away from anything,” She told her, “Does this happen often?” Pepper asked gently.

“I get migraines,” Penny said with a nod, “But since the bite,” Penny winced and curled in further on herself, “No kinds of meds work,” She finished and Pepper felt tears spring to her own eyes. This poor girl was in so much pain and it hurt to see.

“I’m sure we can find something for you, darling,” She said soothingly as she gently ran her fingers through Penny’s hair, “What do you usually do?” She asked her curiously.

“Wait it out,” Penny whispered and Pepper shook her head, “Mrs. Stark,” Penny said warningly and Pepper nearly didn’t move out of the way in time before the girl was leaping towards the bathroom. Pepper followed her quickly and scooped Penny’s hair up as she vomited into the toilet, “Ugh,” Penny said and sounded completely defeated, “Sorry,” She mumbled again.

“What on earth would you be sorry for, Penny?” Pepper asked as she ran her hand soothingly over her back, “You can’t help this,” She murmured. Penny was sick again moments later and Pepper watched tears stream down her cheeks, “I know, baby, it sucks,” Pepper cooed as she continued to rub soothing circles on the girl’s back, “FRIDAY, ask Tony to grab some super strength pain killers, please,” She said and got her affirmative before giving her full attention to the girl again, “How are we feeling now? Going to be sick again right now?” She asked and Penny was still for a moment before shaking her head, “Good, I’m going to grab some of your PJs okay? And you can change and get comfy. I’ll call May and let her know what’s going on and we’ll get you back in bed.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Penny whispered. Pepper stepped back into the girl’s room and heard the toilet flush. She rifled through the dresser and pulled out a pair of cloth shorts and an over-sized long-sleeved shirt that she’d seen Penny sleep in before. As she stepped back into the bathroom, she watched Penny brush her teeth gently. Pepper laid the clothes down on the counter next to the sink and Penny spit out her toothpaste, “Thanks,” She said weakly and Pepper nodded.

“I’ll be right out here, darling,” Pepper told her as she stepped out of the bathroom and pulled the door closed behind her. She looked up when Tony walked into the room, pill bottle in one hand, glass of water in the other, and a wide-eyed look on his face.

“Where is she?” He asked in alarm and Pepper couldn’t help but grin softly at him as she stepped over to him.

“She’s changing. She has a migraine and it’s making her physically sick,” She told him and he grimaced in response, “She said it’s normal but nothing since the bite has helped the pain,” Tony nodded, that made sense. Her body would burn through normal strength drugs easily.

They both turned when the bathroom door opened again and Penny stepped back out. She looked absolutely miserable. Her face was pale, her eyes were red rimmed, and she was clearly shivering. “Hey, kid,” Tony said softly and held up the pill bottle, “These are enough to calm a raging Hulk so they should do the job,” He said and Penny attempted a smile but failed miserably, “That bad huh, kid?” He said and she shrugged at him.

“Okay, darling, go ahead and lay down,” Pepper told her softly and Penny did as she was told. She slid under the blankets and laid her head down on her pillow. Tony produced one of the pain pills and she took it and the water gratefully and downed it quickly. Pepper disappeared for a few minutes and Tony sat down on the edge of her bed and gently ran a hand over her back.

“You could have gone home, kid. You didn’t have to come if you felt bad,” He told her gently.

“Wanted to be here,” Penny mumbled sleepily without opening her eyes to look at him. Tony smiled softly and shook his head happily. Pepper returned and placed a small trashcan next to the bed and let the girl know it was there before asking her if she needed anything else. “No, ma’am,” Penny mumbled as she drew her knees up again, “Thank you,” She said softly.

0~0~0

Pepper shot a message off to May once she and Tony were in the kitchen after ensuring that the girl was close to sleep and not going to be sick again any time soon. “Ugh, Tony, you should have seen how miserable she looked,” Pepper said as she moved into his arms and sighed when he wrapped them around her, “She said she normally waits this out,” She shook her head, “God, I can’t imagine.”

“Neither can I,” Tony said as he brushed a kiss against her hair, “Why wouldn’t she tell anybody?” He asked after a moment and felt Pepper shrug, “She has to know how much we care, right?” He continued softly.

“She came here.” Pepper pointed out and Tony nodded after a moment, “Hell, Tony, she _apologized_ for pulling me away from work,” Pepper said and shook her head, “That kid couldn’t get more precious,” She mumbled against his chest.

“I completely agree.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me!

Several weeks later, Penny returned home Monday night and was met with May as she entered the apartment. “Hey, May!” She chirped happily and then froze when she picked up on the fact that her aunt didn’t seem too happy, “What’s up?” She asked hesitantly.

“I can’t do this anymore,” May said and put her hand to her forehead and scrubbed at her face, “I can’t. Get your things,” She said and Penny’s heart thudded into her chest.

“Aunt May,” She sputtered and shook her head, “What?” She asked and fumbled for her words, “What do you mean?”

“I mean it, Penny. Get your things and get out. I can’t keep doing this. I should have sent you away when Ben died,” May said and Penny felt her eyes well up with tears. She refused to let them fall. “You’ve got five minutes.”

“May, please,” Penny pleaded with her as she took a step forward, “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Why don’t you run to Tony Stark?” May sneered and Penny stumbled as she looked at her aunt in shock, “I can’t keep putting up with this. You’ve become more of a nuisance than you were when Ben first brought you home. I should have protested it then,” May shook her head, “Five minutes, and then you better be out of here. I mean it,” May said as she stalked to her room and slammed the door closed.

Penny’s blood roared in her ears as she walked down the hallway to her room on autopilot. She looked around and finally felt her tears fall down her face. What was she supposed to do now?

Penny grabbed what clothing she could fit into her schoolbag and shoved it in. She grabbed the suit and shoved that down in the bag as well. Penny picked up her favorite hoodie, one she’d stolen from Mr. Stark, and pulled it on to stop herself from shaking so badly.

Penny stepped towards her bed and reached for the final thing she wanted and nearly sobbed when she realized her favorite teddy bear was missing. She knew she’d put it right in the middle of her bed when she’d left. That meant May had had to do something with it.

“30 seconds,” May’s voice called down the hallway and Penny wiped at her face and steeled herself as she walked out of her room and down the hallway back towards the front door. May met her stare and Penny bit her lip as her aunt’s icy eyes bored into her own. “Don’t come back.”

0~0~0

Pepper nipped at Tony’s jaw and felt his fingers ghost over the waist band of her sleep shorts. Her top was long gone and tossed somewhere on the other side of their room. She shifted higher in his lap where she’d straddled him and felt his arms come around before he was squeezing her ass in both hands. She giggled and smacked him playfully but still bit at his bottom lip and then dipped her tongue into his mouth.

“Pep,” He moaned and she grinned as she ran her hands over his chest, “God, woman, what are you doing to me?” He asked breathlessly and she nuzzled her nose against his before rolling her hips.

Tony’s phone started to ring and she felt him tense and start to sit up, “Ignore it, Tony,” She requested and kissed him again.

“It’s the kid’s AI’s ringtone,” He said and Pepper broke the kiss immediately. She was the one to lean over and grab the phone from the bedside table for him, now completely worried about Penny.

“Karen?” He asked as he answered it on speaker phone.

“Mr. Stark, Penny has requested that I not inform you but your protocol overrides her request to let you know that she is currently not home nor anywhere near home,” Tony furrowed his eyebrows.

“It’s eleven o’clock,” He said and looked at Pepper who looked just as concerned. “Why isn’t she home?”

“Sorry, boss. The protocol says nothing about my keeping Penny’s secrets,” The AI told him and Tony rubbed his hand over his face roughly.

“Where is she, Karen?” Pepper asked as she climbed off of Tony’s lap and walked over to find her top and pull it back on. Tony thanked the AI for Penny’s location and shook his head as he hung up.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Pep. She never breaks May’s curfew,” Tony said. Pepper shook her head and found her own phone.

“May isn’t answering me,” She said after a moment, “I keep getting her voicemail,” Pepper told him and he could hear panic in her tone, “Tony, what if something happened?”

“Hold on,” He said and crossed to her, “Karen said she requested all of this. That she not tell me. If she did that, she’s probably fine,” He told her. “I’ll go find her,” He said gently.

“I’m coming too,” Pepper told him and the look in her eyes told him there was no room for argument.

0~0~0

Tony pulled up to the park, checked the location Karen had sent him, and put the car in park. He and Pepper exited, and it took them only a moment to locate Penny who was currently sat in the middle of a park bench, head hung low between her shoulders and arms around her knees.

“Penny?” Tony called as they approached her and she looked up in shock and wiped at her face, “What are you doing out here?” He asked and both of them took a seat on either side of her on the bench now. Penny just shrugged and hid her face in her knees. “Penny, why’d you tell Karen not to tell me you were out?”

“I didn’t wanna worry anybody,” Came the mumbled and muffled reply. Tony met Pepper’s eyes and the woman shrugged letting him know she had no idea either, “I’m fine. You can go.”

“Yeah?” Tony asked as he watched the girl intently, “And where are you going to go?” He asked her.

“I don’t know, Mr. Stark,” Penny answered him brokenly after a few moments.

“Did you have a fight with your aunt?” He asked her and Penny swallowed thickly around a new wave of sobs that were threatening to bubble up her throat.

“You could say that,” She told him.

“Well, she’s probably worried about you,” Tony said, “We should probably get you back home,” He told her and Penny just shook her head, “No?” He asked, “Why not?”

“I can’t go back there,” She said simply and Tony furrowed his eyebrows and looked to Pepper for help. The woman put her arm around Penny’s shoulders and slid closer to the girl.

“Why can’t you go back, Penny?” She asked her gently.

“She doesn’t want me there,” Penny whispered and Pepper trailed her fingers through blonde curls softly.

“I’m sure that’s not true, Penny. Whatever the fight was about, I’m sure-” She was cut off by a broken reply.

“She kicked me out,” Penny told her. Pepper froze and saw Tony tense up out of the corner of her eye.

“What do you mean she kicked you out?” Tony asked her and Penny shook her head. She finally pulled her face out of her hiding spot and rested her chin on her knees now as she looked out at the playground. She looked empty.

“I mean,” Penny sighed and shook her head, “I got home and she was there and she was _so mad_ , Mr. Stark,” She took a breath, “And she told me she didn’t want me anymore. That I had five minutes to get my stuff and get out. She told me not to come back.”

The confession hung in the air between the three of them and Pepper felt her own tears stream down her face but wiped at them quickly as she met Tony’s steely eyes. The question on her face was answered by a terse nod and she stood and grabbed the girl’s backpack from the ground. “Come on, Penny,” She said softly and the girl looked up at her with tear filled eyes.

“Mrs. Stark, I can’t go back there,” She argued brokenly and shook her head. Pepper ran her hand over Penny’s hair soothingly and knelt so she was closer to the girl’s level.

“Penny, we’re not taking you back there, baby,” She told her softly, “You’re going to come to the tower for the night, get some sleep, and we’ll deal with this all tomorrow, okay?” She asked the girl and wiped her tears from her face gently. Penny glanced to Tony who just nodded in agreement and shot her a pleading look.

“Okay,” Penny finally said and took the offered hand as she stood and was led to the car.


	8. Chapter 8

Penny hadn’t said a word during the entire car ride to the tower. She hadn’t said anything as Tony had parked and the three of them had exited the car. She hadn’t spoken as they’d taken the elevator up to the penthouse floor. She didn’t speak as Pepper corralled her into the living room and Tony took her backpack from her and disappeared down the hallway to put it in her room. She didn’t even look up as Pepper gently nudged her down onto the couch. She pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged and wrapped her arms around her middle tightly. She didn’t acknowledge Pepper leaving the room or Tony reentering it.

Penny registered that Pepper had pushed a mug of tea into her hands and wrapped them around it carefully. She looked down into the amber liquid and attempted to blink away the tears that stung her eyes once again. “Hey,” Tony said as he shifted over to the girl’s side when he noticed the tears, “It’s going to be okay, Pen,” He told her as he rubbed his hand over her back. He looked up and Pepper shot him an encouraging nod, “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

Penny bit her bottom lip hard. She shook her head and let out a broken sigh. “She’s all I have left, Mr. Stark,” She whispered, “My parents and then Uncle Ben,” She swallowed down more tears, “And then it was always just May and me,” She sniffed and rubbed harshly at her eyes. “And now…. There’s no one,” She mumbled.

Pepper was moving before she even realized she was. In moments Penny was sandwiched between the two of them on the couch. Tony’s hand continued to rub circles on her back and Pepper reached up to push her hair back out of her face, “Penny,” Pepper said softly and pressed her lips to the girl’s temple, “Darling, you’ve got us,” She told her, “For as long as you want.”

0~0~0

An hour after they’d finally gotten Penny into her room and in the bed (it had been going on 2 a.m. and the kid was exhausted), Tony and Pepper were still awake, curled into one another on the couch in the living room.

“Boss, it appears Miss Parker is having trouble sleeping,” FRIDAY alerted them and Pepper looked up at Tony with a pout on her face and big doe-eyes shining with tears for the girl.

“Thanks, FRI,” He said as he sat forward, “What the fuck is wrong with May?” He whispered and hugged Pepper tightly for a moment, “I’ll be right back, Pep,” He told her and brushed a kiss against her hairline as he stood from the couch and unwound himself from her.

He quickly made his way down the hallway and gently opened the girl’s door. Penny was laid on her back staring up at the ceiling. Her gaze found him as he stepped into her room and she sat up, looking at him in confusion.

“FRIDAY is concerned at the amount of sleep you’re currently getting,” He pointed out and Penny sighed and shrugged.

“I’ll be fine,” She told him quietly.

“What’s going on, Roos?” He asked her and took a seat on the edge of her bed. Penny drew her knees up to her chest and shook her head, “Come on, Pen, what is it?” He asked her and she nearly cried at the soft tone she’d never heard from him before.

“It’s stupid,” She told him and shook her head as she refused to meet his eyes.

“Not if it’s making you upset and keeping you from sleeping it’s not,” He told her and found one of her hands to squeeze gently, “What is it?”

“I have this… dumb teddy bear,” She mumbled and Tony’s lips quirked upwards slightly before he schooled his features quickly, “And I usually sleep with it,” He could tell she was embarrassed by the confession.

“You forgot it at the apartment?” He asked her gently and she shook her head.

“She did something with it,” She whispered brokenly. Tony felt his blood boil. How could she mess with the kid’s comfort item like that?

“I’ll make sure whichever one of us goes over there tomorrow finds it,” He told her and saw her eyebrows draw together in confusion, “You thought we wouldn’t want to give her a piece of our minds? You must have forgotten you’re in the Stark house,” He joked and saw a brief smile flicker across her lips, “Hey, there it is,” He told her teasingly and squeezed the hand still in his, “Okay, Pen, I don’t have much to offer, but,” He cocked his head to the side, “There’s this blanket Pepper swears totally isn’t her comfort item and yet it stays on our bed and consistently gets moved to the living room on her days off. You wanna borrow that?” He asked her.

“I don’t wanna take Mrs. Stark’s blanket,” She told him and shook her head slightly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tony told her insistently, “Pepper wouldn’t care if she knew it was for you,” He told her and Penny swallowed around the unexpected wave of tears that threated to make their presence known. She chewed on her lip for a moment before nodding. “FRIDAY will you ask Pepper for that god awful blue thing she insists on keeping on our bed?” He asked and heard Penny giggle. He shot her a smirk and then they heard Pepper moving towards Penny’s room.

“I’m going to kick your ass if you keep calling my blanket a nuisance,” Pepper threatened playfully as she entered the room. She held it out to Tony questioningly and the man took it and shot her a look full of gratitude. He stood and held the blanket out to Penny who accepted it. Pepper felt tears well up in her eyes once again as the girl curled around the blanket in her arms. “Good night, Penny,” She whispered as she pulled Tony out of the room a few moments later.

Once they’d made it back to the living room, she shot him a curious look as she wound her arms around his shoulders and felt his wrap around her waist. “May apparently fucked with the kid’s teddy bear or something,” He said angrily and Pepper gently nudged her nose against his jaw line to soothe him, “I mean how low can someone get?” He asked her and she shook her head as she buried her face into his neck. “Pep?” He asked after a few moments.

“Yeah, Tones?” She answered him quietly.

“We’re on the same page here, right?” He asked her as he tightened his arms around her waist, “If this turns out not to be some big misunderstanding between the kid and May?” He asked her and Pepper pulled back and looked directly into his eyes.

“Then she’s ours, Tony,” She said with a nod and Tony sighed and pulled her back into his arms.

“I love you.”


	9. Chapter 9

Pepper steeled herself as she stood in front of the apartment and readied herself to knock. The night had been rough. Penny had finally gotten to sleep, and she and Tony had caught a few hours of sleep themselves. Penny had insisted on going to school this morning though she and Tony both protested saying that she needed to rest more. They’d given in when she’d turned a pout on them and Happy had driven her after Pepper made sure she ate breakfast and had everything she needed.

Pepper finally rapped her knuckles against the door and a few moments later, May was opening it and her expression turned to one of disgust, “You must be Pepper,” She said as she scanned the woman. She’d heard all about ‘Mrs. Stark’ and her red hair and her intimidating suits and heels. 

“I am,” Pepper said with a nod, “Ms. Parker, I’d like a few things cleared up if you have some time?” She asked but her tone definitely held no room for argument.

“I don’t have the time, actually. I’ve got to leave for a shift in just a few minutes,” May told her curtly.

“Then I just have one question,” Pepper said as she felt fire flow through her veins, “What the hell is wrong with you?” She asked and May just smirked.

“You’ll see eventually. When she ruins your life too. She’s nothing but a problem,” May sneered and Pepper took a step forward before stopping herself. This was the exact reason she hadn’t let Tony come.

“You know what?” Pepper said in a sickeningly sweet tone, “You’re absolutely wrong,” She told her and smiled, “That little girl is absolutely perfect and I love her more than you could imagine,” She saw May’s look of shock before she continued, “I suppose your loss is my gain, because I’ll be damned if I let you near my kid again,” She told her angrily. May’s wide eyes said all she needed to say, “There’s one last thing. Penny’s bear?” She asked pointedly.

May had the sense to at least look chastised at the mention of the toy. Pepper raised her eyebrow and May shrugged, “It’s not here anymore,” She said and Pepper bit her tongue for a long moment before taking a breath.

“Our lawyers will be in touch,” She told the woman, spun on her heel, and walked back down to the car she’d driven to the apartment building. “FRIDAY, call Tony,” She mumbled and wiped at the angry tears that finally left her eyes as she pulled out onto the street.

“Hey, Pep,” Tony answered and Pepper felt her heart skip a beat just as it always did when his calming tone soothed her.

“She’s awful, Tony,” Pepper told him quietly and wiped at her face again, “She kicked her out. She really kicked a twelve-year-old out of her home,” She shook her head, “And had the audacity to tell me that she would ruin our lives,” Pepper laughed dryly, “Maybe I should have let you come and rough her up a little.

“Shit,” Tony said, “Pep, what the hell do we do now?” He asked her.

“We love her, Tony. We just love her and do our best I guess,” She told him and, truthfully, she wasn’t really sure either, “I told May our lawyers would be in touch. You ready for this?” She asked him.

“I’m ready,” Tony told her and she smiled slightly at the definitiveness of his tone.

“Oh, and she destroyed the bear,” Pepper said bitterly and heard Tony let out a string of curse words.

“I’ll handle that,” Tony told her, “I need to send Happy to get her soon. School is almost over,” He said.

“I’ll get her,” Pepper said suddenly, “I’m already on this side of town. We’ll pick up something for dinner. Let her pick,” She continued.

“Sounds good, Pep.”

0~0~0

They’d eaten Chinese takeout for dinner. The three of them sat around the table talking easily and laughing often at something Tony said or Penny’s sarcastic response to him. Pepper had roped the girl into watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy with her and Tony had grumbled his displeasure but had taken up residence next to Pepper anyway to work on a blueprint on his tablet and hold his wife’s hand.

When one episode turned into two episodes and Penny’s head found Pepper’s shoulder, the woman knew it was probably time to send the girl to bed, but she couldn’t help but smile and bask in the moment for a little while. She squeezed Tony’s hand to get his attention after a few minutes and he smiled softly when he caught sight of Penny snuggled into his wife’s side.

They sent her down the hallway to her room a few minutes later and stood to turn everything off and get ready for bed themselves. Both looked up when Penny came back into the living room, dressed for bed, confused expression on her face, and stuffed moose in her hand. “What’s this?” She asked as she held it up. Pepper giggled when she noticed the Iron Man shirt the stuffed animal was sporting. 

Tony glanced at Pepper and sighed, “Kid, your bear,” He shook his head and Penny bit her lip and nodded, “So, that’s your replacement… Iron Moose,” He told her and Penny let out a laugh of surprise and looked at him, eyebrows raised.

“That was a terrible joke, Mr. Stark. You can do better,” She told him and Tony shrugged, “This thing smells like bananas,” She said pointedly. “Did you brave a Build a Bear Workshop for me?” She asked teasingly and Tony shrugged.

“Yeah, and you totally owe me too. Some kid sneezed in my vicinity,” He told her and she laughed again and was joined by Pepper’s giggle as she smacked his side playfully. He quickly had an armful of the girl as she ran forward and hugged him tightly, her face tucked against him and her arms around his torso. After his moment of shock, he hugged her back just as tightly and looked up to see Pepper’s eyes shining with tears yet again. He shot her a look and mouthed ‘You sap’ at her, earning himself a glare, though it lacked any real heat.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know of anything you might want to see! I'm always open to suggestions.


End file.
